How To Build Your Car Emergency Kit

Every Man Should Have This Basic Emergency Kit In His Car

The AskMen editorial team thoroughly researches & reviews the best gear, services and staples for life. AskMen may receive a portion of revenue if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service. The links are independently placed by our Commerce team and do not influence editorial content.

It isn’t fun to think about needing a car emergency kit. Maybe you have a brand new car and you can’t imagine that anything could possibly go wrong, or maybe you have a total beater, but have purchased the best possible roadside assistance plan that money can buy. Or possibly you are like me, and just like to ignore any thoughts of bad things happening to you.

But the chances are that at some point in your life you are going to need one, or at the very least wish that you had one. Let’s face it, every single time you get in your car there is a chance for something to go wrong, your vehicle could break down, you could have a flat tire, your battery could die, and hey, you could even get into an accident. If any of those things do happen you are at the mercy of the elements around you. Even if you have a good roadside assistance plan you may be in an area with bad cell phone service, or with a tow truck an hour away. If you are in any sort of remote area, or are caught in the middle of any sort of bad weather, a good roadside assistance kit can make a big difference, whether it means you are on your way quickly, or just have what you need for a safe and comfortable wait for help.

In 2015, AAA came to the aid of a whopping 32 million drivers. While some of them were stuck in their driveways, and others broke down in urban or suburban areas, many others were not so lucky. If you are driving down a desolate highway in the middle of the night, or traveling in a rural area in the middle of a snowstorm, a breakdown is at the least a serious inconvenience and at the most life threatening.

So enough of the convincing. Get yourself together and equip your car with some good roadside emergency gear. You can get a whole kit if you wish, or you can just make sure you have a lot of individual items in your vehicle to ensure your safety.

What Every Kit Should Have

While there are some differences in kits, there are certain things that every emergency kit should have no matter what kind of vehicle you drive. You will need a first-aid kit, a portable battery charger, reflective warning triangles, a fire extinguisher, tire sealant, a tire jack, a tire gauge, jumper cables, work gloves, a flashlight, tow straps, duct tape, a multi-purpose utility tool, water, nonperishable snacks, a rain poncho, and a GPS unit. If you live or are traveling through cold weather, you want to add to that a blanket, a snow shovel, an ice scraper, and some kitty litter for traction in case you get stuck.

Car Emergency Kits

There are a lot of different kinds of ready made car emergency kits that you can buy. Even though these kits do have all of the necessities, you still may want to make your own kit as then you get the choice of what they include. If you do want to buy one, here are some of the best kits on the market.

Survival Gear from AutoClubHero

If you are looking for something comprehensive and don’t mind spending a little bit of coin, this kit is amongst the very best that you can buy. It not only has all the more typical accoutrements, such as jumper cables, emergency food, and a first-aid kit, it has anything you could possibly imagine needing, such as a fire starter and even a compass.$114.00 at Amazon.com

AAA Excursion

AAA is obviously a good name in emergency roadside assistance, but a lot of people don’t know they also sell their own roadside assistance products. This kit includes all the bells and whistles. In fact, it actually includes a whistle if you need to alert passersby that you need help. This is a good solid kit at a very reasonable price.$54.94 at Amazon.com

Performance Tool W1555 Deluxe Roadside Assistance Kit

If you want to spend less money on your emergency kit but still have what you need for necessities, then this kit is highly recommended. It fits into a small bag that you can store in your trunk and includes things such as a first-aid kit, a flashlight and jumper cables.$34.24 at Amazon.com

DIY Car Emergency Kit Set Ups

If you don’t want to buy a kit, you can put your own together; in fact, you may have a lot of things that you need already kicking around the house, so you just need to get organized and put that stuff in your car. If you want to go this route, we have included our choices for the best products to buy. Here is a list of what you need to make sure you are protected on the road — some of them are just common sense, others you probably would not have thought of.

First-Aid Kit

You can’t manage without this one. Make sure your kit has some band-aids, adhesive tape, antiseptic wipes, antiseptic cream or ointment, gauze pads, aspirin, and anything else that might suit your particular needs. A solid bet is the Be Smart First Aid Kit.

Tire Jack

Not all of us are up for changing a flat, but if you are capable, then you want a good tire jack. While the majority of cars come with jacks for changing a flat, they are not the highest quality. It is better to pay a little extra money for a decent jack then to use a bad one that may collapse and injure you. A very good jack is the Torin T10152 Scissor Jack.

Portable Power Charger

When you are in trouble on the road, what is the first thing you are going to do? Call for help, of course. Well good luck with that if your phone is not charged. Probably the biggest reason you could get into some sort of trouble is having your phone die when you need assistance. Of course you can just charge your phone before long trips, but you never know when you are going to need help. You will need to do a little research on what is best for your particular phone, but this is a must to have in your car. We suggest the Flux Portable Charger

Reflective Warning Triangles

These are always a good thing to have when you are broken down on the side of the road, safety is paramount when you are in this type of situation. Most kits have one triangle, but it is a good idea to have at least three. The Cortina Triangle Warning Kit does the trick.

Fire Extinguisher

All right, so we know you don’t want to think about this scenario, but that is all the more reason that you should have a fire extinguisher with you. Make sure it is rated for Class B and Class C fires by the National Fire Protection Association. This means it can handle flammable or combustible liquids, such as gasoline, diesel fuel and kerosene, and also means it is the correct fire extinguisher for electrical equipment such as switches, panel boxes and batteries. The Kidde FA110 Multi Purpose Fire Extinguisher is one of the best.

Foam Tire Sealant

If you know what you are doing when it comes to fixing tires, then this is something you want to have. With a tire sealant, you can often fix your tire without needing to change it, at least well enough to get to the nearest garage, and it is much safer than actually changing a tire, especially when you might not be in the best condition. Fix-a-Flat has long been known as the way to go in this particular area.

Tire Gauge

Check your tires every once in awhile to make sure they are inflated properly, and while you are at it, check your spare from time to time as well. Often people realize that their spare is flat when they go to put it on in the middle of a roadside emergency, which is obviously not the best time to figure that out. A good tire gauge is the Tekton 5941.

Jumper Cables

If you are driving around without jumper cables, you are doing it wrong. This is a huge reason many people become stranded, and with some cables you can be on your way in no time. They should be at least 10 feet in length and coated with at least 8-gauge rubber. And come on, it isn’t that hard: red is positive, black is negative — now say that over and over until you get it. Since AAA spends so much time jumping cars, it would only make sense that they sell some of the best cables around.

Gloves

Sometimes it is the simplest things that you want the most when you are broken down on the side of the road. Case in point: make sure you have some gloves. You want something that is warm, but also not so bulky that you can’t do simple tasks while wearing them. When it comes to work gloves, you can’t go wrong with Carhartt.

Flashlight

Come on, you have to have a flashlight. No excuses on this one. Make sure that you have extra batteries and that it is waterproof. You don’t need anything huge, just something that helps you see. A very nice small flashlight that is also waterproof is the JPC 1200.

Tow Strap

I know that I am getting above the pay grade for some of you, but you want to have a good tow strap in your vehicle. Even if you don’t know what you are doing, someone might come along in a big truck that does and you want a strap to be able to help them help you out. It should be strong enough to tow 6,000 pounds. A good solid tow strap is the Capri Tools CTW2-20.

Multipurpose Utility Tool

You know that annoying guy in high school that was always talking about his Leatherman and trying to show you how cool it was? Well, when he breaks down in the middle of nowhere, he has a tool that can do pretty much anything and you don’t. Even if you don’t want to be like that guy most of the time, when you are broken down on the side of the road, you want an all-in-one tool that you can use for just about anything, and the Leatherman is that tool.

Drinking Water

This is super important. Always make sure you have some water on hand. You don’t need to get fancy here; this could just be tap water in a jug — just make sure you have some around. The Aqua-Tainer is a good water carrier to buy. It holds four gallons of water and has a reversible spigot to make sure there are no major spills.

Nonperishable Snacks

It is important to make sure you have some food with you. While this is not as important as water, you still want to be as comfortable as possible if you have to wait things out for any length of time. You can’t go wrong with protein bars, but do what you wish, as long as what you choose is nonperishable. Our pick has to be Clif Bars.

Rain Poncho

Of course it would be best if you broke down on a perfectly sunny day, but life does not always work that way. Keep some sort of rain jacket in your car; you may never use it, but if you ever have to change a tire in a downpour, you will be glad that you have it. A very solid poncho for not much money is the Charles River Apparel Pacific Poncho.

GPS Unit

A GPS unit is something that you may not think that you need until you actually do. One of the best on the market is the Garmin Nuvi 3597LMTHD, which offers voice command, a nice design and an intuitive interface. This is not for every budget, but if you can afford to splurge, there may be a time when you are glad that you did.

Things You Need For Cold Weather Kits

If you live in a cold weather state like I do, then you need to take a few extra precautions for being in a bad situation. If you live in California and don’t have to worry about these things, then know that those of us in the cold weather states totally can’t stand you.

Warm Blanket

Of course, one has to hope that one does not need a blanket in a situation such as this, but if you do need one, it is way better to have one than not. It can get cold pretty quickly in a broken down car in the winter time. One of the best blankets to have is the Emergency Mylar Blanket, which is known as a space blanket to those of us that are old school.

Snow Shovel

If you have never been in this situation, I can’t even tell you how bad it is to have your car stuck in the snow without a shovel, knowing that if you just had one that you could be on your way in seconds. There is one simple way to deal with this: buy a shovel. Even a good travel shovel that you can throw in the trunk is all that you need. A good shovel for emergencies is the AAA 404 Sport Utility Shovel.

Cat Litter

If you get stuck on ice and snow, you might need something to put under the tires for traction. Try cat litter. It works as well as sand, comes pre-packaged and weighs less. Don’t overspend on the brand, as this is purely for your safety and not your cat's comfort. Tidy Cats is a reliable option.

AskMen may receive a portion of revenue if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service. The links are independently placed by our Commerce team and do not influence editorial content. To find out more, please read our complete
terms of use.